The AGA Board of Directors on Oct. 21 approved President Andy Okun’s proposal to restore the College Club Funding Program; the program, which provides $50-$100 per college club annually to assist with organizing go activities, had been suspended in 2008. The Board also asked President Okun to develop formal policies regarding offshore chapters, waiving membership requirements for foreign nationals playing in AGA tournaments, and compensation and invitation practices for pros attending the Go Congress. President Okun reported that work continues to fix the AGAGD, which has been offline recently due to security issues. He also reported on efforts to sign up teams for the Pandanet City League. A committee of Edward Zhang and Gurujeet Khalsa was formed to research a policy for optimal management of AGA reserve funds. President Okun will draft a policy for dealing with long-unused funds that had been allocated to some past Congresses for use by local clubs. The Board, favoring rapid development of a new rank certification program to officially recognize members’ rank achievements, instructed the President to identify and test possible criteria for granting the ranks. The Board also appropriated up to $1,000 for legal advice to determine what, if any, organizational changes might be necessary to accommodate the AGA’s new pro system.
